


all that you are

by eddie_writes



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King, Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Adopted Eleven | Jane Hopper, Dad Richie, Eddie Kaspbrak Lives, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, F/M, Fix-It, Gay Richie Tozier, M/M, Mike Wheeler Loves Eleven | Jane Hopper, Protective Eleven | Jane Hopper, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier is a Mess, Richie is emotional and Eddie is in love, Richie is smart and nobody can convince me otherwise, Smart Richie Tozier, Soft Richie Tozier, Stanley Uris Lives, everyone lives!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:06:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22147630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eddie_writes/pseuds/eddie_writes
Summary: When Richie's called back to Derry 27 years later, he brings his daughter Jane, not realizing what a bad idea that is. Now he has to deal with his previously forgotten feelings, his daughter's safety, and killing a fucking clown.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Eleven | Jane Hopper & Richie Tozier, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Karen Wheeler & Richie Tozier, Patricia Blum Uris/Stanley Uris, The Losers Club & Richie Tozier
Comments: 40
Kudos: 234





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The descriptions of violence are just the typical It things, and some from Stranger Things. I've recently been obsessed with Stranger Things and I thought, what if Richie adopted Eleven during the 27 years, and he brought her to Derry?

He first realizes his mistake after the words, "It's back," spilled from Mike's mouth.

They're at the Jade of Orient, all 7 of the original Loser's Club members, and up until this point, they'd been having fun. It was great to be reunited with them. Richie loved seeing how successful all of his friends had grown to be, loved the way Beverly's eyes lit up when she spotted him and the way Stan's mouth curved up at his jokes.

He loved teasing Bill about his books, and Mike about never leaving. He loved praising Ben's new look. Most of all, he loved seeing Eddie. Everything about him ignited something inside his heart that Richie hadn't felt in years.

27 years. He hadn't seen his favorite people in 27 years.

Of course, after Mike said that, "It's back," he understood why. He understood that leaving Derry meant forgetting everything about it, and everything about It. That included the Losers.

But he realized his mistake first.

"Oh shit," he said, half under his breath. "I brought someone here."

Everyone turned to look at him as he pulled out his phone and started frantically typing out a text.

"What? But you're here alone," Bill asked from across the table.

"Yeah, I know. I told her to stay in our room. She probably didn't, never listens to me, fuck." His fingers and mind were working too fast to get the message out properly, but he knew this was important.

He'd just accidentally brought the most important person in his life into the worst situation he could imagine. Shit.

"Why wouldn't you let your girlfriend come to dinner? That makes no sense, asshole," Eddie frowned.

Richie looked up finally, meeting his eyes with a huffed laugh. "Because I don't have a girlfriend." He sneered the word. As a mostly closeted gay man, the idea of having a girlfriend was laughable. "I have a daughter."

"You what?"

Mike cursed, standing up and pushing his chair back with a loud screech. "And you left her in your hotel room alone?"

He could see the question in their eyes: you have a daughter? How? Why? What the fuck?

"Why didn't you leave her with her mom or something?" Stan asked softly, but his face said he already knew the answer. Richie knew he did, because he now remembered coming clean with Stan at 15 years old, standing in his bedroom with tears in his eyes. _I'm gay. I know, Rich._

Richie snorted, standing up too. "Never met her mom, and she wanted to come. Listen, I know you all have questions and I'd love to answer them but I kinda have to make sure El's okay first. Meet you back at the hotel!"

He bolted from the room, making it to the hotel in less than 10 minutes. Yeah, he broke the speed limit but nobody was around to catch him so he didn't care.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He half-shrugged. "It was good. Nice to see all my friends again." He paused, then thought, fuck it. "I want you to meet them. Would you like that?"

He knocked twice on his hotel room while sliding the key into the lock and opening it. "El?" He called into the semi-dark room. "You in here?"

There was shuffling before the lights came on and Richie sighed in relief at the sight of his daughter laying on their bed. She was wearing one of his old tour shirts and a plaid flannel that he barely remembered packing. In front of her, his laptop screen glowed, showing a video game that Richie knew she liked.

Jane looked up at him with a grin. "Papa? You're back early!"

Richie sighed, closing their door and laying down beside her. He pulled his glasses off to rub at his eyes, then replaced them so he could see her. "I know, sweetheart. I just missed you."

It wasn't a lie but it wasn't true either.

"How was it?" She asked softly.

He half-shrugged. "It was good. Nice to see all my friends again." He paused, then thought, _fuck it_. "I want you to meet them. Would you like that?"

Slowly, Jane nodded, biting her lip. "They're nice?"

"Yeah, baby, they're all nice. If they weren't, they wouldn't be my friends."

Richie knew about her past, but he didn't know everything. He knew that she was rescued from a lab in Hawkins, Indiana when she was 5, and that the scientists there had been using her as a lab rat for testing. He knew that she'd been branded number 11 in whatever their experiment was - the number was tattooed on her arm in very small letters.

He knew that she'd been tortured, psychologically, and emotionally abused to the point where trusting others was hard for her. Thankfully, her and Richie had developed a strong bond of love and trust over the years, but things were still hard around other people.

When Richie first found her, she barely even spoke, using as few words as possible to communicate. Sometimes now, 6 years later, she still struggled with that. He always knew when she was afraid by how many words she would use.

But he knew how to reassure her now. After all, he'd known her for most of her life, and Richie was a great dad. It was unexpected but true and he was proud of it.

Jane nodded again, smiling. "Okay."

They hung out for a while.

Richie changed out of his dinner clothes into a more comfortable hoodie and Jane put on some music that they both liked. It was very reminiscent of how they occasionally spent their nights at home, when they both were tired but unwilling to sleep yet.

Eventually, Richie sighed and said, "They're probably here by now. A lot of them are staying at this hotel too. Do you want to come with me to see them?"

Jane paused her game and stood up, moving to her father's side. With a twitch of her head, the music stopped playing, leaving them in a rare moment of silence. She reached up and took his hand with a smile. "Yes."

So the pair left the room and headed down the stairs. Richie squeezed her hand when she tensed up at the sound of voices downstairs. "It'll be okay. I promise."

She smiled nervously at their joined hands, squeezing his back once.

Richie knew that the best way to keep her nerves down was to distract her, so he started telling her about his childhood. The memories were both old and new, fresh in his mind, and he easily recalled falling off his bike and being patched up by Eddie, smoking behind school with Bev, playing video games at the arcade with Bill and Stan. He had so many memories now and he'd never been happier about it.

"Will they like me?" Jane asked softly, as he finished another story.

He nodded, sure in his answer. "They'll love you, baby. They're going to have a lot of questions when we see them, but I know that they'll love you." He stopped walking, using his free hand to lift her chin gently and connect their eyes. "I love you, okay. It'll be okay."

After a moment, she smiled. "I love you," she echoed. "What kind of questions will they have?"

He took it as a good sign that she was willing to talk, her nerves eased, at least for now.

"I didn't have a chance to explain anything to them. They didn't even know I had a kid until a few hours ago, so I'm sure they'll want to know everything about you. Nosy assholes, I swear." It was fond but entirely true.

Jane laughed at that.

"Now c'mon, my love, let's go meet some folks," he said in a southern accent that had her laughing again.

They stepped into the lounge hand in hand to the sight of the Losers talking loudly.

Bill and Ben were holding glasses of whiskey, and Beverly had a bottle of beer. She was sitting on the couch with her feet resting on Ben's lap and his hand on her ankle. It seemed a little too intimate for the setting, especially with 7 other people in the room, but nobody seemed to care.

Eddie was pacing by the window, yelling down his phone. Mike kept giving him worried looks from his seat on an oversized chair. Stan was happily reading in the chair beside him, some thick novel that looked entirely too boring to be enjoyable.

"Hey Losers!" Richie grinned after watching them for a moment.

Beverly spotted him and her smile widened. He watched as her gaze fell to Jane, eyes twinkling in that way they always did when she was particularly excited.

Once most of his friends were looking his way, Richie stepped further into the room and said, "This is Jane, my daughter. Honey, these are the Losers."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie introduces Jane and the Losers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry these chapters are short. I'm just cutting them off where I think it naturally should end. 
> 
> This chapter is basically just Jane and Richie being cute, and the Losers being the Losers. I love them. 
> 
> Warning for implied child abuse!

Jane glanced up at him before training her eyes on Beverly, who was heading towards them. "Nice?" She whispered.

"Yeah baby, she's nice," Richie replied softly, squeezing her hand. He hoped it was some kind of comfort for her.

Beverly stopped and grinned between them. "Hey," she said. "I'm Beverly."

Jane waved, smiling back hesitantly. Richie chuckled. "She's nervous around new people," he explained.

"That's alright. Come sit with us so we can get to know you! You can even have the couch." She wiggled her eyebrows until Jane huffed a laugh.

They joined the group again, Beverly reclaiming her seat, pressing suspiciously close to Ben to give Richie room to sit down. Jane sat on his lap, playing with his fingers where they were resting loosely on her knee. His fingernails were painted a pale pink, the same colour that hers were. Beverly smiled when she noticed it, picturing the two having a girl's night.

"That's Mike," Richie said, pointing at his friend. "The guy reading is Stan. There's Bill, who's not paying attention. That's Ben, and over there is Eddie, who's also not paying attention." He paused, studying Jane's body language. He'd gotten pretty good at it over the years. "What do you think, Jane, my darling? Harmless enough?"

She nodded in reply. Richie grinned.

"It's nice to meet you," Ben said cheerfully from Bev's other side, leaning forward to see the tiny girl. Her head was resting against Richie's chest, his chin on top of her brown curls.

The others all replied similar things as Jane relaxed into her father. When they were done, she was smiling genuinely again. "Hi," she said softly. Bev cooed.

"I'm shocked that any kid of yours knows how to be quiet for more than a second, Trashmouth," Bill chuckled.

Richie flipped him off. "Quiet? Please."

Mike laughed as Jane glanced up at Richie. "Well, she's certainly adorable. She has your curls."

After a moment, Richie started laughing. He ruffled her hair, playing with the curls. "Thanks man, but they aren't genetic. At least not from my genes. I adopted Jane in 2009, when she was 5, and it was easily the best decision of my life."

Stan looked up from his book in interest. He folded the corner of his page over carefully before closing it and setting it down on the coffee table. He gave Richie a knowing look. "You were young and single. Why were you looking to adopt?"

Richie's eyes fell to his daughter again and he smiled softly. "I wasn't really. It just kinda happened."

That was when Jane spoke up, voice strong and sure. "He saved me."

Richie cut in before anyone could ask. "Baby, no. _Hopper_ saved you. I was just there at the right time."

All of the other Losers looked interested now, but Richie was temporarily saved from having to explain further by Eddie loudly joining the group. He shoved his phone in his pocket with a groan. "My fucking ex keeps calling," he huffed. "She's fucking miserable and she keeps asking if I'm taking my pills, which, of course I'm not! They're all bullshit!" He blinked, suddenly noticing the addition of Richie and Jane, then smiled. "Oh, hi."

"You should look around before swearing like that," Mike chuckled, but Richie rolled his eyes.

"No, don't worry about it. She hears it all the time at home and I know she talks like that with her friends, so it's fine."

"Great parenting, Rich," Ben grinned teasingly.

Richie tipped an imaginary tophat. "Thanks, good sir," he replied in a posh Voice that made Jane laugh.

"She likes your Voices?" Beverly asked. "I mean, you seem to have gotten better at them over the years, but still."

Jane nodded. "Papa does them to make me laugh," she said.

Eddie stepped closer, glancing between Richie and Jane. Richie watched as realization flickered across his face. "Oh, you must be Richie's daughter. I'm Eddie," he said, reaching a hand out for her to shake.

Jane smiled, hesitantly taking it. "Nice," she whispered, not noticing her father's smile when he heard it. Louder she said, "Jane Tozier."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie tells the Losers about Jane's backstory and how he adopted her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for implied child abuse!

Eddie squished beside Mike on his chair. "Cute."

Richie's heart was pounding. Having all of his favorite people in one room, all getting along, made him so happy, he could cry. But he knew that everyone still wanted some answers, and that there were bigger things to talk about. 

His thoughts were broken by Bill saying, "You called her El at the restaurant."

With a sigh, he nodded. "Yeah. It's a... nickname. For a nickname. Long story?"

He didn't really want to spill his daughter's secrets right now, especially not without talking to her first. As much as he trusted the Losers, he didn't think it would do any good to rehash her past right now. 

Jane clearly had other ideas. 

"You can tell them," she mumbled, tugging on the sleeve of his sweater. "They're nice."

He wrapped himself tighter around her. "I know, baby, but I don't want you to have to relive it. I hate seeing you in pain." He hoped he was being quiet enough for his nosey friends not to hear, but by the way Beverly leaned closer, he thought he wasn't succeeding. 

Jane shook her head, frowning up at him. "It's okay. You can tell them."

He knew she wouldn't leave it alone, so he reluctantly gave in. "I'll stop when you want, but you have to tell me, okay? Promise?"

"Promise."

"It's cute seeing you with a kid, Rich," Ben said, accidentally ruining their moment. "Reminds me of all the times you were a shithead when we were children."

"Yeah, seeing you all soft is weird but I kinda love it," Bill added happily.

Eddie was giving him doe eyes from across the room, a small smile on his face. Richie tried to ignore it so his heart would stop beating overtime. 

"Thanks guys," he said, somewhat awkwardly. He wasn't used to praise like this, and while he loved it, he didn't know how to tell them that without sounding weird. 

"So," Stan said. It was clear he was fighting back a smile. "Are you going to answer mine and Bill's questions?"

He grinned. "I already answered yours! But, if you want to know how I adopted her, you just had to ask Stan the Man."

Jane laughed as Stan muttered, "Asshole."

"Okay, well, Jane was rescued from Hawkins Laboratory in Indiana when she was five. I was in the area for a show - that was when I was touring a lot more - and I met up for lunch with an old friend I went to college with. Hopper's the police chief in Hawkins, so when we met up, he told me about what happened with the lab, and how they'd rescued a bunch of kids."

Mike interrupted him there, eyes wide. "Why were there kids in a lab?"

Richie shrugged. He only knew a few details from Hopper and the occasional comment from Jane, usually after a nightmare. 

He started to answer but Jane beat him to it. "The bad men kept us there."

Mike nodded slowly, taking that in. Always observant, he could tell that Jane had been through a lot, even before the story confirmed it.

"They did, but they're all locked away now," Richie said quietly, rubbing Jane's arm. "You're safe." He cleared his throat and continued, shooting worried looks at his daughter. "Anyway, Hopper said he was housing one of the kids for a while and I went to meet her. I always say it was fate because making her smile just felt right, and I wanted to keep doing it, so I adopted her. It was a lot of paperwork, especially because of her past, but it was so worth it. I knew what it was like to deal with trauma. Figured I'd be a pretty good companion for her." He stopped again, smiling at the tiny girl clutching his hand. "How've I been doing? Pretty good companion, huh?"

She giggled, turning to bury her face in his chest. He stroked her hair and down her back, looking back to his friends. He avoided looking at Eddie. 

The rest of the Losers were smiling, even Stan, who had been successfully hiding it before. Ben was wiping at his eyes. 

"Yeah, so I'm a dad now and it's fucking awesome. Oh, and to answer you, Big Bill, El is short for Eleven, which is what she went by before I adopted her." He glanced down at her wrist but didn't point out the barely visible numbers to his friends. "Janey, you still good?"

She nodded, twisting around to sit properly again, then tilting her head back to rest on Richie's shoulder. "You didn't tell them about the other thing," she whispered. 

He smiled at her determination, but shook his head. "Later, if you want to."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill leaned closer to Richie with a kind smile. "I missed you guys," he said softly. "Twenty seven years is such a long time, and I just can't believe that I forgot all about this. The Losers, Derry, everything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not edited so there might be spelling mistakes. That goes for this whole book! Sorry!

"So that's why you said you never met her mom," Beverly said slowly, piecing it together in her head. "I thought you had a drunk hook up or something."

Everyone laughed, except Eddie, who was twisting his fingers in his lap, and Jane, who was watching him curiously. Everytime Richie looked at him, she could feel his heart speed up. She made a note to ask him about it later, when they were back in their room. 

The conversation dissipated soon after and the Losers all started new ones among themselves. Eddie and Stan were arguing over the book Stan was reading, while Mike tried to mediate them to no avail. Ben and Bev were whispering close together beside Richie. 

Bill leaned closer to Richie with a kind smile. "I missed you guys," he said softly. "Twenty seven years is such a long time, and I just can't believe that I forgot all about this. The Losers, Derry, everything."

Richie sighed wistfully, playing with Jane's curls. She was looking down at her phone now, one of Richie's old ones, and not paying attention to the conversations around her. 

"Yeah, me too. When I saw you all, I thought, how could I have forgotten this?" He replied. "It's like we all missed out on the best parts of our lives. I mean, you got married! Man, I wish I could've been there for that."

Bill chuckled, spinning his wedding ring for a second. "Don't worry too much about that. I don't think I'll be with Audra for much longer. Our marriage has been crumbling for months and running away to Derry was probably the last straw."

"Sorry to hear that, but now you can find someone better. Movie stars were never your type," Richie smiled. 

He watched curiously as Bill looked fondly over at Mike for a split second, before nodding. "Yeah, you're right." He motioned at Richie. "And you have a kid! I never thought I'd see the day, honestly, but I'm so happy for you."

"That means a lot," Richie said. "See, I've been working on this whole opening up thing. Emotional stability, my therapist calls it." His grin was goofy and big, and Jane looked up long enough to laugh at it.

"It's pretty cool, actually. Before Jane I was such a mess, man. I was a borderline alcoholic, and I was so lonely. Couldn't even admit certain things to myself. Those were bad times, but now things are good. We have a nice condo, I've got a job I love, and now I have all of you."

He didn't realize Eddie was listening until he glanced over and their eyes met. Eddie had a funny smile on his face, and he blushed when Richie caught his eyes. He winked before looking back to Bill, who was grinning. 

"That's good, Rich. I'm really happy for you." Bill smiled wider. "Wait, you're in LA, right?" He said, thankfully choosing not to comment on the 'borderline alcoholic' comment. Richie was a little embarrassed at spilling so many personal things at once, but he knew he was safe here, with these people. It was okay to be a little vulnerable. 

"Yeah!"

"That's great! I live there too, so we can hang out whenever. It'll be nice to have a friend in the city." His eyes twinkled, and he added, "By the way, you've definitely gotten soft in your old age, Trashmouth. I'd tease you about it more if I wasn't feeling so sentimental."

"Oh fuck off," Richie laughed. "At least I don't look as old as you!"

Bill chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. That receding hairline of yours begs to differ."

Richie faked offended and was about to reply when Mike cleared his throat. "I think we should talk about why we're all here." 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the silence from the Loser's Club, who had apparantly been listening to Mike, Jane spoke up, still glaring at him. "Friends don't lie."

The happy mood shifted into something less comfortable. Richie looked down at Jane, thinking. He would've loved to keep her out of this but he knew it would be more safe for her to know. After all, she was here and that was Richie's fault. The most he could do was make her aware of the danger. 

Bev sighed beside him. "It's a shame this couldn't have been a nice reunion," she grumbled. 

Ben smiled at her, leaning in to whisper something that made her smile. 

Jane looked up. "What's wrong, Papa?"

He frowned. "A monster lives in this town, honey," he said. "Something very bad. When we were all kids, growing up here, the monster tried to get us but we fought him and won."

"Monster?" She said, stiffening, eyes wide. 

"Yeah. We thought he was gone but he came back and now he wants to get us again. We're going to try and kill him again, but I can't make any promises. Just keep your guard up, okay?"

Jane turned around to look at her father. "Okay," she whispered. 

He chuckled. "I'll take care of you, baby. I'll even let you at some of my memories, if you want." Her eyes lit up and she nodded happily. "They're not very nice ones though," he warned.

"I want to see them," she insisted. 

He nodded. "Okay. You can, back in our room."

Richie looked up to meet Eddie's wide curious eyes. He smiled and hoped it looked genuine. 

Honestly, he was terrified for Jane to see what happened in their childhood. He didn't want her to worry about a monster that preyed on your worst fears. But what choice did he have?

He tuned in at the end of Mike's speech to find Jane glaring at Mike. When he looked down, there was a bit of blood trickling from her nose and he rolled his eyes at her. 

In the silence from the Loser's Club, who had apparantly been listening to Mike, Jane spoke up, still glaring at him. "Friends don't lie."

Everyone turned to her. "What?" Bill said. "Of course they don't."

Richie sighed. Clearly his daughter picked up on his troublemaking gene, even without his actual genetics. "It's our saying," he explains. "Oh, actually, her friend Mike taught her that when they met, but it's ours now."

Jane wiped her nose with her sleeve, leaving a trail of blood behind. Richie sighed. 

"What's up?" He asked softly. It was obvious to him what she'd done, and even though they normally had rules about that kind of thing, he couldn't really be mad at her for it. 

She turned to him. "He's lying," she mumbled. 

He looked up at Mike to see him playing with a thread on his jeans. "About what?" He asked curiously. Maybe he should've been listening. 

"I'll show you later," she said. He nodded. 

Stan had raised an eyebrow at them. "Want to share with the class?" He asked and Ben snorted. 

Richie shrugged. "I wasn't listening before but I guess Mike was lying about whatever he said."

Beverly gave him a curious look. "He was talking about a ritual that he thinks will kill It."

"Well, friends don't lie," Richie said simply. The fact of the matter was that he believed his daughter. She had never lied to him and he was sure she never would. That went both ways because that's how trust works. Richie would never lie to her. 

Bill frowned, showing off deep frown lines. "Jane, why do you think he's lying?"

She glanced over at him. "I don't think. I know."

Richie groaned. "Can we not ask questions?" He said desperately. "I mean, a ritual to kill a clown sounds like bullshit. Sorry Mike, but it does."

Eddie raised an eyebrow, looking between Richie and Jane before settling on Mike. "Mike, _are_ you lying?" He asked. "If you are, you might as well fess up now so we can come up with a better plan."

Mike frowned. "I thought it would be worth a shot. When the natives did this ritual, it banished It, wven though some of them died. I thought it might be different this time."

Jane shivered in Richie's lap and the lamp light flickered. He stiffened too, watching it blink. When it stopped, staying on, Richie wrapped his arms around Jane's waist, holding her close to him. 

"I swear if that's the fucking clown-" Eddie was saying, but he stopped when the light flickered once more. Then the lamp on the other side of the room flickered a few times. 

"Is that you?" Richie whispered in Jane's ear. "Because if it is, cut it out." 

She shook her head, focusing on the light. It settled. Beverly let out a relieved sigh. 

"That was weird," Stan whispered. 

"Yeah," Ben said. He was holding Bev's hand now but he dropped it when he realized. "Anyway, Mike, your ritual?"

Mike looked at Jane. "I didn't mean to lie. I just thought it would be our best chance." He leaned forward slightly. "How did you know I was lying?"

Richie squeezed her hand. "Because," she said softly. "You were. I could tell."

"She's like a human lie detector," Richie tried to joke but Jane pouted up at him. "Sorry. She's just really good at stuff like that."

Jane sat up suddenly. "Can we go?" She asked, louder than she'd been speaking the whole time. "I want to go."

Richie's eyes widened behind his glasses. "Yeah, sure. You okay?"

She ignored his question, standing up and pulling him by the hand out of the room. "Goodnight guys," he called to his friends, hoping they would understand. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She shifted slightly as he wiped it away. "Can I show you?" She asked quietly. 
> 
> "Yeah," he said, closing his eyes and letting her take his hand. He didn't know what she was going to show him, only that it was probably going to suck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for implied/mentioned child abuse! There's a memory of Jane's time at the Hawkins Lab near the end of the chapter.

When they were back in their room with the door shut and locked behind them, Jane sat on the bed with a frown. "Something was there," she said, staring at the floor. "A presence." She looked up. "It was... bad."

He nodded like that made sense. It did, sort of, but not a lot. "Are you okay?" He asked. Jane nodded. He sat beside her on the bed, watching her play with her fingers. "Let's talk about this. You wanted to see my memories? That might be a good place to start."

"Okay." She stood up and started digging in the backpack she'd brought as a carry on. He chuckled when she pulled out the walkie talkie she used to communicate with her friends. He was about to crack a joke about how she definitely wasn't in range, when she pulled out a long black strip of fabric. 

She sat on the bed again, fiddling with the walkie talkie until all that sounded was static. "Ready," she said, and he helped her tie the fabric around her head, covering her eyes like a blindfold. They had tried this with an actual blindfold one time, but found this worked better. 

"Ready," he echoed. "Don't push yourself too hard this time, okay?"

She nodded and the room fell into silence. 

Richie could only stare helplessly at her still form. They did this occasionally, always together after it went wrong once and Jane ended up having a panic attack, but it still scared Richie to see. He couldn't protect her there, wherever she went in her mind. 

Jane gasped after a moment. Blood started running from her nose. "I see you," she whispered. "As a kid."

He frowned. Whatever memory she had found was not going to end pleasant. 

"There's... a fridge." 

Oh. He knew this memory. Now that he could remember, it was one he'd replayed a few times in his head.

"The monster," she mumbled. "Broken arm."

He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping she would pull out of the memory soon, but his girl was brave. More than he ever had been. 

She muttered broken phrases through the rest of the memory and Richie grabbed a Kleenex from the side table. Her bloody nose was about to drip on the hotel bed and he didn't feel like dealing with that. 

She shifted slightly as he wiped it away. "Can I show you?" She asked quietly. 

"Yeah," he said, closing his eyes and letting her take his hand. He didn't know what she was going to show him, only that it was probably going to suck. 

At first it was just the two of them, standing beside each other on a watery floor. He'd seen this before, when he'd joined her in her head. Then there was a quick run through of whatever ritual Mike had been trying to convince them to do. Once that was over, Jane turned to Richie. 

"Can I show you one more thing?" She asked. "It's like what you showed me."

He agreed, curious, and let her walk them forward in a random direction. Richie had never understood how any of this worked, only that it did and that Jane was in control of it. 

From the darkness, he could see another, much smaller Jane. She looked how she did around the time that Richie first met her, buzzed hair and scared eyes. Too thin to be healthy. It broke his heart. 

He watched in silence as the memory expanded, growing until Richie felt like he was there. 

He knew where it was instantly. The Hawkins Laboratory. 

The walls were white and there was a big tank of water in the middle of the room. Richie watched in horror as a young Jane was forced to step into it, wearing only a scuba helmet.

The scene changed then and they were in another white room, only this one was covered in black vines that moved on their own. The air was filled with floating particles of dust and decay. Everything was dark. 

He turned to Jane beside him in confusion. "What is this?" He asked. "Where are we?"

She was looking around, seeming to be searching for something. "The Upside Down."

He turned, following her gaze, and saw the same young version of Jane, standing with one arm out and blood pouring from her nose. She must have been only four. 

There was some kind of monster with her, a black, dog-like creature that had rows upon of rows of teeth. It was snarling in front of her, and then it shuddered, disappearing into a black dust. 

They were in the Lab again, and an older man was pulling her free of the water. Richie kind of wanted to punch him. "You did good," he said. "That was excellent. Do you think you could do it again?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane shuffled, then proped herself up against the pillows with a yawn. "I can help," she mumbled, still half asleep. 
> 
> Richie's head shot over to her, eyes wide. "No way. I'm not letting you get hurt. I promised to keep you safe and I intend to keep that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of death!

And then they were back in their hotel room, safe, holding hands and both breathing heavily, even though they hadn't moved. 

Jane shakily untied her blindfold and Richie wiped away the blood that had formed under her nose again. 

He frowned, watching her unsteady movements. "Are you okay?" He asked. 

She shook her head slowly, looking up at him with glossy eyes. 

"It's okay, baby," he whispered, pulling her into his chest. "I'm sorry you went through that. The dog, monster... was that what you saw in the tank?"

She nodded, whimpering. His heart broke. His poor girl never deserved any of that. 

"I'll protect you, as best as I can, okay? I'm never going to let you be hurt like that again."

"I know, Papa," she whispered. "Me too. Don't want you hurt either."

He smiled slightly. He had the best daughter. "Thank you, baby. Want to sleep now? We can call Mike in the morning."

She giggled quietly and he took that as a good sign. "Okay. Come on, let's go wash up for bed."

They followed their nightly routine without much fanfare. Jane washed her face and Richie sort of washed his, but only because she told him to. They brushed their teeth. 

Neither of them liked sleeping in the dark so Richie plugged in a disco ball night light he had found years ago. Jane laughed as the room lit up in all different colors. 

They curled up together in their bed, safe, and fell asleep. 

-

Someone was pounding on the door. 

Richie didn't know what time it was, other than that it was far too early to be awake. Jane grumbled beside him and he snuggled further into the shitty hotel blankets. 

The pounding continued. "Relentless," he muttered. "What the fuck do you want?"

"I need to talk to you!" It was Bev. 

"We were sleeping. Can it wait?" Richie groaned. 

Bev huffed from the other side of the door. "No, it's important. We need to talk."

"Ugh, fine." He knew he was pouting as he sat up, reaching for his glasses on the bedside table. 

Jane moved just enough to nod her head at the door, unlocking it and letting it open a crack. Richie smiled at her, still snuggled up, and trudged to the door, opening it the rest of the way. 

Beverly pushed passed him to get inside, closing the door behind her. "Richie, I remembered something," she said. "And I'm sorry for waking you up, but I have to tell you so that I don't forget again."

She was pacing the room, running a hand through her already tangled hair. "You look like a mess," Richie sighed, reaching out to grab her hand and stop her pacing. "Sit down."

She cracked a smile, sitting on the edge of the bed Richie had just vacated. "When I was in the Deadlights, when we were kids, I saw us all as adults. I saw us all die."

Richie frowned at her. "Awesome. That's great, Bev, really. You barged in here to tell me we're all gonna die."

Jane giggled softly from the bed. Bev looked at her and cursed. 

"I shouldn't be saying this around her probably." She kept talking anyway. "Listen, I know it sounds crazy, but this whole thing is crazy. Stan, in my vision or whatever, didn't even end up coming back. He killed himself when Mike called. The rest of us come here and we end up doing Mike's dumbass ritual, and it _fails_ , and then _Eddie_ dies!"

It felt like a shard of glass just lodged into Richie's heart, cutting him open where it hurt. The thought of Eddie dying was too much, especially now that Richie remembered he was in love with the guy. He couldn't let him die. He refused to sit back and let that happen. 

Beverly goes quiet for a moment, looking at Richie with sad eyes. "Eddie dies," she repeats, quieter. "And you just can't deal with it, so you die next. On the kissing bridge. And then Bill, and Ben and Mike all die, and I die last because It wanted me to suffer, to watch helplessly as all of this played out."

She's calmed down now, sitting quietly on the bed with tear stained cheeks. Richie's heart aches. 

"It won't happen," he said. "Hey, look at me. We'll make sure it doesn't happen. Stan's here, and we're not doing the ritual. Everything will be okay."

It felt very reminiscent of what he'd said to Jane hours earlier. He meant it then and he still meant it now. Everything was going to work out. He could feel it. 

Jane shuffled, then proped herself up against the pillows with a yawn. "I can help," she mumbled, still half asleep. 

Richie's head shot over to her, eyes wide. "No way. I'm not letting you get hurt. I promised to keep you safe and I intend to keep that."

"You will. But I can help. I _want_ to help." There was a determination in her eyes that told Richie not to push too hard. He didn't want to fight with her. That was the last thing they needed right now. 

He sighed. "Okay, but you stay with me or one of the Losers at all times, got it?"

She nodded. "Promise."

That made him feel a lot better. Promises were never broken in their little family. 

"Good, thank you."

Beverly frowned at them. "Are you sure you want to help? I don't know what Richie told you but it isn't going to be fun. We were around your age when we first did this and it was awful. A bunch of us got hurt. I don't want that to happen to you."

Richie grinned at his friend, warmth growing in his chest. He could tell she really cared about his daughter and he was suddenly so grateful to have the Losers back in his life. 

"I'll be okay. I saw what happened before, with you guys. It won't happen this time."

Beverly looked confused, mouthing "Saw?" at Richie. He pretended not to notice.

Richie wasn't sure where she got all her courage from because it certainly wasn't him. He ruffled her hair affectionately. "Little Miss Tozier, you're one brave gal." He said in a southern accent.

Jane laughed, smiling up at him. "Not little," she replied.

Once Bev was reassured, she went back to her own room to sleep. Richie turned to his daughter and met her eyes. "You're sure you want to help? This monster can see our fears and change into them. I don't want you to be caught off guard by it because that's how we got hurt last time."

He thought of Eddie's broken arm and winced. 

Jane nodded seriously. "I can just use my powers," she said, wiggling her eyebrows terribly. He couldn't help but laugh at his sweet girl. 

"Thank God for your superpowers, huh."


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He doesn't want to die any more than he wants Eddie to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brief mentions of death!

Richie woke up early but didn't want to leave Jane alone while she was sleeping, just in case something were to happen. He didn't think he would ever forgive himself. 

So he stayed in their room, answering emails from his manager. He got bored at one point and sent a quick text to Karen Wheeler: _hey, we made it to Derry. We'll be back in a few days, I think. Jane wants to call Mike this morning. Talk soon!_

The Wheeler's lived in a nice house next door to Richie, and they had for a long time. He got along with them quite well, becoming Karen's friend easily. He liked their daughter Nancy, and her boyfriend Jonathan. She was quick witted and he was a little neurotic but Riche had always felt normal around them. He liked Mike too, who talked a lot and liked the same kind of music as him. 

When Richie adopted Jane, he had no hesitation about introducing her to his neighbors. They all loved her and she was welcomed with open arms. 

Mike was Jane's first friend. He quickly introduced her to his other friends, and soon him, Will, Dustin, Lucas and Max were all hanging out at the Tozier residence just as regularly as they were at the Wheeler's. 

When Jane confessed that Mike had asked her to be his boyfriend, Richie was not surprised at all. He told her what it meant and how it would change things. 

"It means that he loves you," Richie'd explained. "Like, in a romantic way. The way Nancy and Jonathan do."

He didn't think Karen and Ted loved each other, and Richie himself was single. 

Jane had understood pretty quick and accepted Mike's offer. Richie loved them. He trusted Mike enough to know that he was a good kid with a big heart who would never hurt his daughter intentionally. 

Karen responded minutes later with a cheerful _have a nice reunion! Talk later!_ With a smiley face at the end. God, he loved that woman.

She was watching his house while he was away. He told her, and his manager, that he was going to a childhood reunion with his old friends. Nobody asked too many questions. 

When it was nearing 8, Richie took it upon himself to wake up his daughter. 

He jumped on the bed and started tickling her. "Wake up, Janey girl," he grinned. "Papa's hungry!"

She squirmed and giggled, trying to push his hands away. "Papa!" She squealed. "Papa, stop!"

He did, reluctantly pulling away with a big smile. "Come on then!"

\---

Breakfast was okay. 

The food kind of sucked but Richie was used to crappy hotel food from years of touring. Jane, who came along on most of his later tours, was also used to eating terrible scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast, so neither of the Toziers had any big complaints. 

Eddie, on the other hand, was not pleased with the selection. "This coffee is shit," he muttered, sitting down next to Richie on the couch. The Losers were eating in the lounge, realizing that the hotel was pretty much abandoned with no employees or other visitors. "I can't believe this is all they have." 

Richie chuckled. "At least they have something. You're a nightmare without coffee, Eds."

"Hey, fuck you, man," Eddie frowned over the top of his coffee mug. It was probably burning his throat but he apparently wanted to down it in one go. 

Richie thought back to what Beverly said last night. He'd been thinking of it a lot. Her sad eyes when she said, "Eddie dies, and then you can't handle it and die too. On the kissing bridge."

He couldn't imagine Eddie dying. The man was so full of life, it was hard to even think of it fading away into nothingness. 

But Richie understands a little too well. He would be overridden with grief, unable to deal or recover. He would be a shitshow. Richie doesn't find it hard to picture himself alone at the Kissing Bridge, where he'd once carved his secret, crying until jumping off felt like the only answer. 

He doesn't want to die any more than he wants Eddie to. Jane doesn't deserve to be left fatherless.

"Are you okay?" Eddie said, pulling him from his thoughts. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

He paused, studying Eddie's features. He was still beautiful, hadn't really changed at all.

"I'm okay. It was a rough night." And it was. Richie could barely sleep after Bev left. All he could think about was his friends dying. He tried coming up with a better plan but scrapped it eventually when nothing was working. 

Eddie frowned harder. "You left pretty suddenly last night," he said slowly. "Was everything okay?"

"Jane just, uh." He didn't know how to finish because he really didn't want to lie. 

Richie caught sight of his daughter entering the room with Ben, both holding plates of food. Ben was saying something and she was laughing. His heart swelled. 

"The lights. Flickering," Richie said finally. "It really freaked her out, she just wanted to sleep. I explained the situation to her and she's gonna help."

Eddie's eyes widened comically. "She's going to help?" He said, a little too loudly. "What the hell, Rich? Why would you let her do that? Don't you remember what happens to kids in Derry?"

"Yeah, now I do, but I trust her. She'll stay close to us at all times and I think she might surprise you." Richie chuckled at the thought of Jane slamming a door with her mind in Pennywise's face.

"What the fuck does that mean?" Eddie asked. 

Richie didn't really want to answer, so he didn't. Instead, he watched happily as Jane walked over to them, wide grin in place. Ben was right behind her smiling.

Jane sat down on Richie's other side. "Papa, they have Eggos!" She exclaimed. 

He laughed, knowing how much she loved them. "They won't by the time we leave," he smirked. 

Jane laughed as Ben took a seat on a chair in front of the couch. Eddie was still frowning, now vigorously chewing on his eggs. 

"Morning guys," Ben said cheerfully. "Sleep good?"

Eddie shook his head. He raised an eyebrow at Richie.

"You see, Bev woke El and I up in the middle of the night to tell us that she's seen us all _die_ ," Richie replied. "So that was really nice. Luckily I think I know how to stop _that_ from happening."

Eddie nearly choked on his breakfast and Ben's eyes went wide. "She _what_?"

Richie shrugged. "Yeah. But don't worry about it yet. We'll talk and sort things out." 

"How are you being so calm about this?" Ben asked. 

Richie just chuckled, not wanting to give away his plan yet. "Because, I told you. I have a plan."

Beside him, Jane grinned over an Eggo. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So, we just have to make sure nobody gets too close until we can kill it, and hopefully we can make that bitch our bitch."

After everyone had eaten and gotten ready for the day, Richie called a meeting in the lounge. Jane sat on the arm of the couch to his right, bouncing her knee in the anxious habit she'd picked up from him. Richie always loved seeing little peices of himself in her, knowing that he'd been that much of an influence in her life.

He smiled fondly at her. "It'll all be okay. You can tell them about, you know, if you want."

She giggled, shrugging.

Once the last of the Losers sat down, all looking at Richie with trepidation, he did what he did best: talk. 

"So, the ritual of whatever isn't going to help save us," he began, shooting Mike a semi-apologetic look. "Pennyfuck tortured us for a whole summer by playing on our worst fears. I think it's time to give him a taste of his own medicine."

"Wait, you think we can scare it?" Ben piped up, frowning in that way that made Richie think back to long nights in the clubhouse, staying out past curfew and talking late into the night when nobody wanted to go home. "That's your plan?"

Richie nodded, smiling. "He thinks he's almighty and powerful because nobody's ever stood up to him before, not in a way that would truly scare him. We need to make him doubt himself and his abilities so that he feels weak. Use his methods against him."

Jane and Richie had spent a long time talking about fear when he'd first adopted her. Jane had a lot of fears: the dark, being alone, the unknown, lies. Ironically, Richie himself had a lot of the same fears but he knew how to deal with them. They'd talked about not letting your fear control or become you. Now he had to share his wisdom with the Losers. 

Beverly snapped her fingers a few times, looking excited. "Rich, that's good! I think you're onto something!"

At her side, Eddie's eyebrows were scrunched up in his classic thinking face. He slowly met Richie's curious gaze. "You're right," he said, then quickly added, "For once. I mean, I think we have to make him feel insignificant. When I was a kid and I saw him as the leper, he was weak but still had the power in the situation because I let him have it. I _let_ him scare me."

Stan nodded. "That's what happened with me, with the painting. I know a painting can't hurt you, but anything can hurt you if you let it."

Richie's own knee started bouncing, thrilled that his friends were on board. 

"Yeah! Okay, this is really good," Richie rambled. "So, we just have to make sure nobody gets too close until we can kill it, and hopefully we can make that bitch our _bitch_."

Eddie snorted and Jane laughed loudly, giving her father a look. He pointedly ignored it. 

Bill smiled at him from across the room, in a chair between Stan and Mike. 

Mike was looking at Jane, mouth drawn, but when he spoke his words were directed at Richie. "Is she staying here alone?"

Immediately, Richie became defensive - he couldn't help it. He was protective by nature, especially of people he loved. "Fuck no! She's staying with me, where I can make sure she's safe. You think I'd leave her here alone? Are you crazy?"

Mike held his hands up. "Sorry Rich," he said. "I didn't really think you would but I wanted to make sure. Derry isn't safe, especially not for kids."

Richie sighed. "I know. Trust me, I fucking know." He pauses, looking at his friends. It was good to have them back. "So, sound like a plan to everyone?"

"Yeah, of course. We trust you and if you think this will work, it'll work."

"Great."

-

After their little meeting, the conversation turned into catching up while having drinks from the conveniently unattended bar. 

Richie, being responsible, only had one while the others had multiple. He'd once almost been an alcoholic but that lifestyle was far behind him. As long as he had Jane and his friends - found family - to remind him of the good things in life, he didn't need excessive amounts of alcohol in his body. 

It was really great to catch up with everyone. Mike, Stan and Ben were caught up in a whirlwind conversation that Richie didn't bother trying to follow. He was pretty sure it was something boring, like real estate or nature. Bill and Beverly were talking to Jane, who seemed to actually enjoy the conversation. She appeared to be opening up a little and Richie was thrilled. 

Eddie moved to sit next to Richie. He'd moved to the couch a while after his little speech, and now had room for Eddie to join him. 

"Hey, that was a really great plan," he said, smiling coyly. "Did you come up with that yourself or did your daughter do most of the work?"

Richie laughed at the unexpected jest. In all fairness, he'd tried to hide his intelligence as a child under jokes and stories. The rare time he's truly opened up, everyone had been shocked at how smart he really was. 

"No, all me, but she did help a bit. Just to refine details and stuff."

Eddie smirked like it was an inside joke. "I see," he said, then he studied Richie's face for a long minute. "You know, I missed you, Trashmouth. Maybe more than the others. We were always the closest."

Richie's heart pounded in his chest, much like in a cartoon. He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. It was best to pretend that the 'more than the others' thing didn't affect him quite as much or else Eddie might figure out his feelings. "Yeah, we were. I missed you too, Eds."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do you think the others will find out about Jane's powers?


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie was the same as he always had been. He talked too fast and gestured like crazy. His eyes were still big, brown and doe-like, and still hitting Richie right in the heart. He was smart and cute and funny. God. Richie loved him just the same now as he had back in 1989.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: violence. It's vague and if you've seen the movies, you'll probably be okay with it, but it never hurts to forewarn!
> 
> Also, this chapter has some cute domestic-like fluff in the form of Eddie and Jane having a moment while Richie internally panics, so enjoy that!
> 
> Sorry it's been awhile. I've been working on a couple of other fics too so those will be posted soon. Hope everyone is doing well!!

Jane was talking to her Mike. 

Admittedly, Richie was a little bored but he still didn't feel comfortable leaving her upstairs alone, so he dealed with it. That is, if dealing meant pining over his own life long crush.

It was weird to see Eddie again, all grown up now, after missing out on years of his life. Richie still can't believe he ever forgot about the boy who was constantly on his mind as a kid. It seemed ludacris and he hated that it had happened. 

Even still, Eddie was the same as he always had been. He talked too fast and gestured like crazy. His eyes were still big, brown and doe-like, and still hitting Richie right in the heart. He was smart and cute and funny. God. Richie loved him just the same now as he had back in 1989. 

It was funny to him how things picked up so easily where they'd left off. Clearly the universe agreed that they were meant to be together, all of the Losers, reunited at last. They were different, older, but still the same as they once were. Richie hadn't been quite this happy in a long time. 

Richie spent some time on Facebook. He never normally went on, hating the app ever since Twitter had become a thing. His profile mostly consisted of tour updates and old photos of himself and his work acquaintances. By the time he'd adopted Jane he was long over Facebook so there weren't any pictures of her on his account. 

He searched for his friends. Bill had quite a following, it turned out. Most of his posts were about his books, but there were some pictures of his cat too. Stan posted pictures of interesting birds and short reviews of places he'd been to and pictures of his wife. 

He paused for a moment, staring down at a picture of Stan, arm wrapped around Patty while she grinned at the camera. She was pretty, dark hair and strong nose. Perfect for Stan, he thought, even without having met her yet. He would. Soon, hopefully. He wanted to meet all of the important people in his friends' lives. Bill's wife Audra and Ben's dog Marcy. 

Mike's account was pretty boring, and so was Ben's, so Richie skimmed through them quixkly before moving on. Beverly posted a lot of fashion pictures, scenery and running stats from some excercise app. There were some selfies too, which Richie smiled at. It was nice to see his friends out living their lives, hopefully happy. 

Last was Eddie. His account was kind of boring too, but Richie was fascinated. He wanted to know everything there was to know about his once best friend and longtime crush. No, crush was too childish. This was some true love bullshit, for sure.

There were rants and a few vicious reviews of some restaurants. Eddie really was a little spitfire, whether he'd admit it or not. Very few selfies, but Richie saved the ones he found. Eddie truly was handsome, with his perfect hair and dimpled, tight smile. Little freckles still dusted his cheeks and nose, Richie was pleased to notice. 

Jane had been talking for nearly 20 minutes by the time a loud yell sounded in the room across the hall, startling both of them. Richie jumped, head whipping to face his daughter. She looked pale. 

"You okay?" He mouthed. 

Jane shook her head and told Mike she had to go. Throwing her cellphone down on the bed, she took Richie's hand and rushed out of the room, across the hall. 

The door was closed. Jane nodded her head and it flew open with ease, slamming into the inner wall. Thankfully there was nobody in the hallway to see that. Richie figured everyone else was probably downstairs. 

Richie trailed after Jane as she strode into the room, following the sounds of an increasingly loud scuffle, then a soft yell. 

The bathroom door was open and Eddie was inside, backing away from a much larger man. Someone very familiar whose name Richie couldn't remember over the sound of his own blood in his ears. 

_Eddie dies and then you die too._

Not on his watch. 

Richie moved forward to intervene when a flash of silver made him hesitate. The guy had a knife pointed at Eddie. 

Jane rested a hand on his arm, then raised her other arm, palm open, at the man. Just as the knife was about the slide through Eddie's face, the man was sent flying backward by an unseen force, knife skidding across the bathroom floor. 

Richie wiped a thumb under Jane's nose as blood trickled out with a sigh. She didn't move, holding the guy down. 

Eddie turned to them with wide eyes, a hand pressing against his cheek where he'd almost been stabbed. Richie went over to him right away as Eddie stayed frozen in shock.

"It's Bowers," he said, voice wavering, pointing at the heap of a guy laying on the floor. Henry Bowers, that's right. The psychotic asshole who bullier them as kids. "He tried to stab me!" Eddie's eyes flickered over to Jane again. "And what the fuck is she doing?" He was practically wheezing by the end. 

Richie pulled Eddie into a tight hug, stroking a hand up and down his back. "You're okay, deep breaths Eds. We can't have you hyperventilating on us now." 

Eddie huffed against Richie's chest. The tension released from his shoulders slowly as he matched Richie's steady breathing. 

"You good?" Richie asked, pulling away. He looked over at Henry's prone form and made a face. 

Eddie kept his eyes on Richie's face, admiring his defined jawline and the scruff that he hadn't bothered to shave. "Yeah," he said, voice a little hoarse. "Thanks, Rich."

Richie smiled at him. He walked over to Henry and nudged his side with his foot. "He won't hurt you now Eds, it's okay." Just to make sure, Richie grabbed a hold of Henry Bowers' hair and tugged at it. To his satisfaction, Henry didn't wake up. With his other hand, he felt for a pulse. It was very weak. 

"You can stop now baby," he said softly, looking up at Jane. Her nose was still bleeding, trailing down her face. "He's unconscious. Everyone's okay." Henry's body slumped to the floor as Richie let go of it.

Jane sighed, dropping her hand. 

Eddie looked over at her in confusion, then gasped. "Your nose is bleeding!" He hurried over to her and gently tilted her face to study it. "Keep your head down and pinch the bridge of your nose, like this. Yeah, just like that. Hold it for 10 minutes. Breathe through your mouth, okay? I'll get a wash cloth for you."

He went into the bedroom to dig through one of his suitcases noisily. Richie and Jane gave each other matching bewildered looks until Richie started laughing. 

"You feel okay, Janey?" He asked. "I know that took a lot out of you." 

Richie had helped Jane practice using her powers before but it seemed to drain her energy after. She usually only used her telekinesis to open and close doors, turn lights on or off, or mess with the radio or television. Sometimes she would use it on appliances too, but not often. 

Even though Richie was used to her powers, seeing them in action like that was still very impressive. He couldn't help but be proud of his daughter. He really had raised her well. 

"Yeah, I think I'm okay," Jane said slowly through her pinched nose. "A little lightheaded."

She swayed just as Eddie came back into the room holding a fluffy blue face cloth. He inhaled sharply and quickly wrap an arm around her. 

"Are you okay?" Eddie asked her, not at all convinced by her little nod. His eyebrows were scrunched up with concern. Richie couldn't help but think this is what it would be like to coparent with Eddie. He blinked hard to try and clear the thought.

Richie was a little worried too, but he'd seen this all happen before. Jane would be okay, once she rested up and got some food into her. He was more worried about how Eddie would react to the whole telekinesis thing. It was weird that he hadn't mentioned it yet. Maybe he was waiting for a better time?

"Okay, so I'm gonna drag this asshole downstairs and we can decide what to with him." Richie hoisted Henry up with a huff, grinning at the sight of Eddie holding Jane. The two most important people in his life. "You guys wanna meet me down there?"

Jane smiled, nodding once. Gazing down at her with awe, Eddie chuckled. "Yeah." He paused, then stared harder at Jane. "Thanks for saving me. I thought for sure I was a goner."

Richie paled but pasted on a cocky smile anyway. "As if we'd let that happen."

Eddie smiled softly at him, seeming almost fond. Richie's heart sped up, even while his arms were starting to strain against the weight of Henry's unconscious body. 

"C'mon, let's get you all cleaned up so we can go see the rest of the Losers," Eddie said to Jane, ruffling her hair lightly. 

"Thank you," Jane mumbled. Richie left before they could see the fondness of his smile. 


End file.
